06/19/2014: Jam for Justice raises $50,000 for Legal Aid (Photos)

Posted June 19, 201411:15 am

Cleveland area attorneys and judges rocked the House of Blues on June 11 as part of the annual Jam for Justice to benefit The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. Supporters raised over $50,000 for Legal Aid’s work to ensure health, safety, shelter and economic security for the most vulnerable in our community. We welcomed 850 guests with great music performed by our featured artists.

Out of Order opened the night with rock music from older bands, such as the Beatles and Elvis, and newer ones, like Green Day and Kings of Leon. Favorites, like “Jailhouse Rock” and “Use Somebody” gave Jam for Justice an exhilarating start.

Rule 11 and the Sanctions kept things going and you can tell by the name that during the day these five individuals are serious lawyers. However, by featuring rock music by bands ranging from the Beatles to Coldplay, they showed that they could quickly stir up a crowd. Songs such as “Clocks” and “When the Levee Breaks” made the audience want to stay for the rest of the show.

As an 11-piece all-lawyer band, The No Name Band claims the title as having the largest set. They also take pride in the fact that they “started it all,” having played at early Jam for Justice events. This year, the band played popular rock songs such as “Don’t Stop Believing” and “Love Shack.”

The John Hanley Band has been rocking Cleveland’s downtown bar scene for quite a few years now. With their music containing a number of acoustic elements, their set consisted of artists such as Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan. Songs like “Train” and “Oh! Sweet Nuthin!” kept the audience alive.

Next in the lineup, Just Us played classics such as “California Dreaming” by Mamas and Papas, and “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac. As exhausted as many members of the audience were at this point, Just Us was a great reason to stay after 9:00.

The upbeat music of Faith & Whiskey that leaves the audience feeling great should always be saved for last. That’s why Cleveland’s “leading good time Rock and Roll group was the closing act for the second year running. Faith & Whiskey made all four hours of Jam for Justice worthwhile with songs such as “Pump It Up” and “I Want You To Want Me”.

This year, Legal Aid was happy to be approached by a DJ with over 8 years of experience and a strong connection to its mission, who wanted to volunteer at the event. DJ Wolfe, a student at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law by day, entertained the audience between sets with a variety of popular tunes and introduced each band with great enthusiasm.